Now that his friends were there I was a bit worried that I’d lose his attention, but when he arrived at the feast clad in hot white shorts that showed off his tan legs and the tightest gray muscle shirt I’d ever seen in my entire life, his eyes roamed the crowd until they landed on me.

The smile that curved his lips could only be described as one of pure excitement and then . . . lust.

He didn’t even talk to the other contestants as he made his way over to my table and sat down next to me.

A few of the girls started whispering among one another. One of them glared in my direction, but I was used to that by now. We were in a competition, but none of them had crossed the line into being hostile. The producers probably hated that. The girls were civil to me; then again, I was nice to them, so I didn’t see what the problem was.

“My lady.”

“My lord.”

“How badass would we be if we owned a castle?”

I laughed. Max was ridiculous. Everything that came out of his mouth was random. He made no sense, but was so entertaining. I was never bored. One could never be bored around Max. I never knew what he was thinking, which was both a good and a bad thing.

“Would our castle have a moat?” I asked.

“Of course.” Max poured me a glass of wine. “Where else would we put the gators and Little G’s family?”

“And what will we do with Hades?”

“I’m already convinced Reid’s never going to find love, since I highly doubt he can keep it up, if you get my meaning, so we’ll gift Hades to him to keep him company so he doesn’t turn into a cranky old man.”

“Wow.” I laughed. “You’ve thought of it all.”

“What can I say?” He shrugged, leaning his head toward mine. “I’m a giver.”

“Good, because I’m a taker.”

“Take all you want. As king of the castle, I order you, my fair lady, to take . . .” He kissed me softly on the mouth in front of all the contestants.

Too stunned to do anything but react, I kissed him back.

When the kiss ended, Max gave me a look of utter panic. “I just kissed you in front of everyone, didn’t I?”

“Yeah,” I said breathlessly.

“They’re going to want to beat you even more now.”

“Because you’re such a prize?” I teased.

“Prize bull with the balls of—”

“Stop, I’m eating.” Colton walked up behind Max and took a seat opposite me. “Hey, I’m—”

“The jackass who took Max’s place as Milo’s best friend?” I shook his hand.

“Cool, so he’s already brainwashed you.” Colt shook his head. “And you were so young, so full of potential.”

“He says I have to drink red wine and wear only black and white until we consummate our blessed union.” I nodded.

“Wow.” Colton chuckled. “Cheers, apparently Max found his doppelgänger in the form of a hot-as-hell chick.”

That earned Colton a swat to the back of his head as Milo made her way to our table. Apparently she didn’t like him calling me hot? “You ass.” She rolled her eyes.

“You and the missus fighting?” Max asked Colton.

“She’s just mad because I wouldn’t let her invite the turtle into the hut.”

“Aw . . .” I nodded to Milo. “Aren’t they pretty?”

“They’re possessed!” Colt shouted. “And it snapped at my foot!”

“He probably thought your pinkie toe was a shrimp.” Max shrugged.

Jason chose that moment to walk up. “Turtles don’t eat shrimp, those badasses love a good burger, though.”

“What?” we all asked in unison.

He shrugged. “I saw it on Animal Planet, they like ground beef. Sue me for being educated!”

“Are you guys”—I cleared my throat and pointed at all of them—“always like this?”

“It’s the Max effect.” Colt sighed. “Drops everyone’s IQ and maturity. Tragic, really. I always wanted to have friends that made me smarter.”

“Not a hard feat, I’m sure.” Max grinned.

“Contestants!” Rex clapped his hands, gaining everyone’s attention. “Welcome to the halfway-point feast!”

Cheers erupted around the table.

“Now, this is the time to get to know the Bachelor’s friends. Remaining women, this is your chance to impress them. If they pick you, you’ll get a private date with our lucky Bachelor. After each date, if he chooses to keep you, his kiss will be a sign of his consent for your continued participation. No kiss means you’re going home.”

Kiss? I tried not to squirm in my seat. The last thing I wanted was for Max to be kissing girls. Any girl but me.

Then again, it wasn’t just a competition; it was a dating show.

“Hey,” Max whispered into my hair. “I don’t have to kiss them on the mouth.”

I squeezed his hand and smiled.

“And each kiss will need to be . . . on the lips.”

“Just kidding.” Max released my hand and slumped in his seat.

“Why are you pissed?” Jason elbowed him. “Some of these chicks are pretty hot. No offense, Becca, I know you and Max have . . .” He pointed. “Whatever this is, but still, I sent him here to find love and get out of my hair, not fall for the one girl who signed up so she could say, ‘Screw you’ to the Bachelor and take the money, breaking his heart in the process. And you have that written all over your pretty little face.” He rolled his eyes. “That’s just what we need, a sad, jobless Max.”